F-35’s $10 Billion Funding Gap Hints at a Jet Too Costly to Fly
- Cost control unit says $78 billion in blueprint isn’t enough
- First cost estimate by Pentagon’s analyst unit since 2012
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The Pentagon’s five-year budget plan for the F-35 falls short by as much as $10 billion, the military’s independent cost analysis unit has concluded, a new indication that the complex fighter jet may be too costly to operate and maintain.
The Defense Department’s blueprint for the next five fiscal years calls for requesting $78 billion for research and development, jet procurement, operations and maintenance and military construction dedicated to the F-35 built by Lockheed Martin Corp. But the cost analysis unit estimates $88 billion will be needed.